Lansing Fireworks Death - Stray Bullet kills MSU Student

[shoxroxice]

Has everyone read this story about Michelle Packard?
Lansing park shooting victim remembered, reward offered (http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120706/NEWS01/307060059/Lansing-park-shooting-victim-remembered-reward-offered?nclick_check=1)

At least from the story it sounds like someone fired into the air and it ended up hitting this poor gal. It sounds like she was extremely bright and had accomplished a lot already in life. She was about to complete her PhD at MSU. This is a tragedy and another reminder to always follow the primary rules of gun safety.

This should go without saying but, whoever was the cause of this failed to ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction and ALWAYS know your target and what is beyond it. Shooting randomly up into the air is NOT a target and what goes up must come down.

[sourdough44]

Yes, very tragic. Being stupid can kill, if not you, someone else.

[RayMich]

And yet, many people still claim that a bullet shot up in the air is not lethal when it comes down. I guess they forgot to inform this poor girl of that "factoid".

Very, very tragic ! ! !

[repsem]

While I am definitely not advocating going out and shooting your gun in the air, bullets falling to earth have a VERY small change to kill you. They will injure, for sure. All falling projectiles follow the rules of terminal velocity. I believe there was another story of an elderly gent who got hit.

Unless I'm completely missing it, I don't think the bullet fell to hit her. It looks as though someone fired in her direction from outside the park. Very sad to see :(

[RayMich]

While I am definitely not advocating going out and shooting your gun in the air, bullets falling to earth have a VERY small change to kill you. They will injure, for sure. All falling projectiles follow the rules of terminal velocity. I believe there was another story of an elderly gent who got hit.

Unless I'm completely missing it, I don't think the bullet fell to hit her. It looks as though someone fired in her direction from outside the park. Very sad to see :(
Terminal velocity is dependent on the object's aerodynamics.

A man falling from an airplane head first will have a higher terminal velocity than a man who assumes the typical skydiver's chest-first position. Once the skydiver pops his parachute his terminal velocity slows down to allow for a survivable impact speed.

A bullet's has way LESS aerodynamic resistance compared to a person or any other larger object and its terminal velocity is a whole lot FASTER that those other objects.

At any rate, it is highly doubtful that the bullet in question was shot straight and fell straight down, otherwise the shooter would've been standing next to her. This bullet, like most bullets, followed a parabolic arc which gave it additional impact velocity.

[MP Miller]

Terminal velocity is dependent on the object's aerodynamics.

A man falling from an airplane head first will have a higher terminal velocity than a man who assumes the typical skydiver's chest-first position. Once the skydiver pops his parachute his terminal velocity slows down to allow for a survivable impact speed.

A bullet's has way LESS aerodynamic resistance compared to a person or any other larger object and its terminal velocity is a whole lot FASTER that those other objects.

At any rate, it is highly doubtful that the bullet in question was shot straight and fell straight down, otherwise the shooter would've been standing next to her. This bullet, like most bullets, followed a parabolic arc which gave it additional impact velocity.

Physics, recognize!